Greenwood Farm
Why it's listed
Greenwood Farm is a cluster of farm buildings about a quarter mile from the road near Delaware, Ohio. John and Elizabeth Vergon came from southern France in 1834, and the family kept the land for well over a century. The oldest building is a small brick house, probably from the 1840s. The main brick farmhouse followed in the early 1850s, and a braced-frame bank barn on a limestone foundation carries a cornerstone reading 1854. Late in the century an apple storage building was added, with insulated brick walls and an iced frame section that kept apples fresh into early summer. Frederick Vergon ran the farm after his father, established one of Ohio's first commercial orchards in 1888, and is credited with developing the grass mulch system of orcharding. He also built Greenwood Lake, a nearby amusement park created in 1873. The farm was listed as a largely intact nineteenth-century agricultural complex and as the home of a prominent county family.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a well-preserved, nearly intact nineteenth-century farm complex that has stayed in the Vergon family since 1833. It is also the home of Frederick Vergon, a nationally recognized orchardist credited with the grass mulch system, who developed the nearby Greenwood Lake amusement park. The bank barn and the apple storage building, considered innovative for its time, add architectural and agricultural interest.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF). NRHP reference 16000041, listed February 23, 2016. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 264 Richmond Rd., Richmond Heights |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | February 23, 2016 |
| Reference number | 16000041 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific dates 1840's, 1852-56) |
| Architect / builder | J.J. Vergon & Sons |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in fair to good condition with the main buildings altered; the owner was reported to be restoring the complex at the time of nomination. The form's status boxes mark it both occupied and unoccupied. |
| Acreage | 16.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.57086, -81.49690 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 16000041.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5605019
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.